5 places to visit in Venezuela

There a lot of cities or areas in Venezuela that I love and that I always recommend to venezuelans and friends from other countries. Two of those are Gran Sabana (you can read about it here) and Los Roques (a gorgeous archipelago national park in the Caribbean) – which I hope to visit it again soon -. Venezuela offers you breathtaking clear water beaches, snow at some mountains, beautiful colonial houses, sand dunes, lot of forts, and the best of all: venezuelans 🙂

Mochima National Park

Here, I tell you about 5 of the cities I highly recommend you if you are visiting my country: Venezuela. –although I also recommend you to visit with a venezuelan you know! Sadly, it’s not too safe (right now-2014-) to visit by yourself.–Margarita Island: It’s one of my favorite island in Venezuela where you can relax, do some shopping (tax free) and party all night long. My favorite beaches to spend a relaxing and/or fun time are: El Yaque (windy, calm water, popular), El Agua and Parguito -close by- (lots of waves, very popular) and Punta Arenas (very calm and perfect to relax). You can take a tour for a day to visit Coche Island which is perfect to relax too. Or do some shopping! There are some malls (Sambil, Costa Azul and La Vela) with international and national stores or you can stroll by 4 de Mayo and Santiago Mariño (right now -2014- not too secure to walk by yourself, better go to a shopping mall). At night, there are great spots like a British Pub where they play live music (both in Spanish and English), Bora Bora, my new favorite: Green Martini, and depend on the season, you might find other places to have a great time. Also, in Pampatar, there are some restaurants and clubs to party with locals.

Pampatar

Marina del Concorde

Caracas: My 2 favorite places to visit every time I can, Warairarepano National Park (known also as El Avila mountain) and El Hatillo town. To get to El Avila, you can do it either by car (a 4×4 is better) or by cable car. Either one, you’ll enjoy a gorgeous view to the city and great time on top of the mountain. El Hatillo, is a small town with some stores, restaurants, a church, Bolivar square and more to enjoy with family or with friends. Don’t forget to try ‘churros’ with hot chocolate at any of those places. Besides, in Caracas, you’ll find lots of malls with great stores as El Sambil (which also have a Hard Rock Cafe, Chili’s and more restaurants, variety of attractions such as an amusement park, movie theaters, an aquarium, bowling, and bars. Other malls, Tolon (more stores, restaurants, bars – look for the 5th floor -), San Ignacio among others. The center, if visiting with locals, can’t forget to visit Simon Bolivar’s house and the Cathedral.

View from the cable car

Los Proceres park (Warairarepano National Park in the background)

Lecheria: Located in Anzoategui state. By car, it’s about 4 hours from Caracas. It’s a small city close to the capital state city, Barcelona, and next to the well known Puerto La Cruz city. In Lecheria, my 2nd home town in Venezuela, you’ll find lots of restaurants and hotels. There’s a colorful mall, Plaza Mayor, from where you can take a boat to some of the beaches at the Mochima National Park. Lecheria is known by its canals and the colorful houses with waterfront. There are few night clubs but you’ll definitely have a great time here!

Canals in Lecheria (Plaza Mayor mall)

Ña Cleta Beach (Mochima National Park)

Merida: A beautiful city by the Venezuelan Andes. Nice cold weather all year long and lots of small towns to enjoy in the state. In the city, you’ll find 3 theme parks about Venezuelan culture and history. There’s also the highest cable car in the world. Get to know some of the small towns and areas such as Mucuchies, Apartaderos, Los Aleros, Laguna de Mucubaji. The nature is amazing and the people are always nice. Great city to visit away from the beaches. (you can read more about Merida here)

View from the cable car

Coro: To the west of Venezuela, there’s Falcon state. One state with beautiful beaches by Peninsula de Paraguana, they still keep the colonial architecture in Coro downtown and on the way from Coro to Peninsula de Paraguana, you’ll see sand dunes! Enjoy the beach in the morning, spend some time at the sand dunes and later take a walk by the streets and history at Coro. At some of the beaches, such as Adicora, you can even practice windsurf or kite surf.

Adicora

Medanos de Coro (Sand dunes)

Let me know if you’re coming to Venezuela so I can help you with more places.